A Delicious Chinese Chicken Salad
Monday, March 26, 2012 at 1:00AM 
By Sandy Hu
Congratulations to Blake S. from Fort Myers FL who won our Special Fork Kerrygold sweepstakes! Thanks to all who participated.
Iceberg lettuce gets no respect. In my first public relations job, I represented America’s mainstay salad green, and even then it was losing ground to sexier choices like arugula and darker, more nutritious lettuce options like butter and romaine.
With so many leafy greens today, iceberg may seem like an anomaly. But nothing beats a crisp wedge of iceberg drizzled with blue cheese dressing. And it’s still a great partner for a BLT or a burger.
Iceberg lettuce is so mild as to be almost flavorless, but the crisp and crunchy texture of a well-chilled head is incomparable. I learned the trick of preparing iceberg lettuce on the job. The secret is to core, rinse and drain, then refrigerate.
Crisp up a head of iceberg lettuce to make this Chinese Chicken Salad. You could use romaine or napa cabbage, but I still like iceberg for this one.
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Chinese Chicken Salad
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon light brown sugar, packed
1 small clove garlic, put through a garlic press or finely minced
¼ to ½ teaspoon sriracha sauce or other hot sauce
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon sesame oil
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 head shredded iceberg lettuce (about 8 cups)
¼ cup shredded carrot (about 1 medium carrot)
1 pound shredded cooked chicken (4 cups)
1 can (15 ounces) mandarin oranges, drained
2 cups chow mein noodles
In medium bowl whisk together vinegar, vegetable oil, sugar, garlic, sriracha, salt, sesame oil and pepper. Set aside. In large bowl combine lettuce, carrot, chicken, mandarin oranges and chow mein noodles. Toss to combine. Add dressing and toss again. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.
Note: for the chicken, use shred leftover rotisserie chicken or roast a whole chicken and use the leftovers.
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Reader Comments (1)
There are many different types of cold chicken salad in China, although most of them seem to originate in Szechwan. But the Chinese chicken salad being consumed ... by the fashionable set, probably originated in California.